| ▲ Son Heung-min, who returned from goalkeeper to Tottenham Hotspur as captain of the soccer team, waves to fans during Open Training Day held at NFC in Paju, Gyeonggi Province on the 30th. yunhap news |
Don’t let other clubs take you
Please raise the transfer fee with ‘hope’
National team, evaluation match ‘Training Day’
Recruitment of 300 fans closes in 1 second
Heung-Min Son’s highest grade blue dragon jang decision
There is explosive interest in Son Heung-min, the top scorer in the English Premier League (EPL). The fever continues in the UK and Korea. Tottenham Hotspur fans set a record high of 200 million pounds (about 313.2 billion won) as a ‘hope’ to prevent Son’s transfer, and 300 fans in Korea showed enthusiastic support.
According to the British media Football London on the morning of the 31st (Korean time), Liverpool have seriously considered the signing of Son Heung-min. It means bringing Heung-Min Son to replace Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane. Salah and Mane’s contracts expire next season, as they have not renewed their contracts and it is unclear whether they will remain. Moreover, the fact that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has maintained a good relationship with Son Heung-min since the German Bundesliga days also played a part.
As this information became known, Tottenham fans insisted that Son Heung-min be protected. One fan tweeted, “It’s like Harry Kane. 200 million pounds or no transfer. It’s not that he has to sell for £200 million, it’s just to prevent transfers.” Asking for an astronomical amount contains the hope that Liverpool will stop signing the contract altogether. The £200m is £2 million more than the record transfer fee of £198 million (310 billion won) Neymar recorded when he moved from FC Barcelona (Spain) to Paris Saint-Germain (France) in 2017. Another fan emphasized, “Heung-Min Son is a part of us, so even if he receives a blank check, he won’t leave.”
But Liverpool’s plans to sign him are likely to go to waste. This is because Tottenham finished 4th in the EPL this season and confirmed their participation in the UEFA Champions League next season. Tottenham Hotspur announced a massive reinforcement of power to challenge the Champions League and EPL titles, and ENIC Sports, the largest shareholder of Tottenham, announced an investment of 150 million pounds (234.9 billion won) to silence the transfer rumors of Son Heung-min.
His love for Son Heung-min continued in Korea. On the afternoon of the 30th, the first day of the national soccer team call-up, an ‘Open Training Day’ was held at the Paju National Training Center (NFC) in Gyeonggi-do, where training was disclosed to fans. Confessions of “I love you” continued in a row, making it look like an idol concert hall. Some fans shouted, “Uncle Son Heung-min!”, making the crowd laugh.
Heung-Min Son responded with a smile to the fans during training, and gave a warm greeting after the end. The Open Training Day, which was held for the first time since December 2019 due to Corona 19, recruited 300 participants on a first-come, first-served basis on the 28th, and ended in 1 second after application started. On the morning of the 31st, the second day of the convening, the national team warmed up with light training on the first day and prepared for Brazil on June 2 through private training.
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min receives the Blue Dragon medal, the highest grade among sports medals. According to the Office of the President, the award of the Blue Dragon Chief was decided at the State Council meeting on the 26th. In the case of sports players, it is common for the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to award the Blue Dragon Award on behalf of him, but Son Heung-Min is expected to receive the Blue Dragon Award directly from President Yoon Seok-Yeol.
Immediately after Son Heung-min was confirmed as the top scorer in the EPL, President Yoon sent a congratulatory message saying, “It is not only Son Heung-min’s individual honor, but also a congratulations to all Asian footballers.”
Reporter Heo Jong-ho
